Media shoots down firearm advertisement

The firearm industry, including companies that provide components, accessories, and parts, has enough to worry about trying to comply with government laws and regulations. Then there’s advertising and marketing in order to do business, to reach the customer base necessary to stay in business, which also comes with its own laws, regulations, and subsequent legal challenges, like a law passed in 1923 that forbids advertising handguns outside a gun store. On top of that, businesses then need to bend to the whims of the media outlets which they depend on to advertise as to not offend any precious snowflake who may be listening and disagree.

Recently, two media companies, Entercom and iHeart Media, approved and allowed Firearms Unknown, a San Diego area company that sells parts kits and tools for customers to lawfully build personal firearms at home, to run ads on their stations ending with the slogan “Unregistered. Unserialized. Unknown.” The radio spots ran for months until the media companies received calls from a “few listeners” complaining of the ads’ content. The stations dropped FU’s ads for refusing to change their honest, lawful, and catchy slogan.

“The primary reason I am sticking to my guns on this is that the slogan seems to be the only thing customers remember about the ads,” said Dustin Bortin, owner of Firearms Unknown.

Whether a few listeners truly objected to the content of the ads or if it’s another part of an organized effort to suppress a firearms related business from advertising is debatable. Groups who are opposed to the right to keep and bear arms are known to send out alerts to their members to make “flash mob” calls pretending to be outraged customers to pressure organizations, such as media companies, to change policies regarding firearms out of fear of offending their customers. It doesn’t matter what the ads said; there likely would have been calls anyway.

And while finding liberty in the laws and conducting business in accordance with those laws (albeit not the way the government intended for their laws to be complied with) may seem atypical in a state like California or to media outlets, businesses like Firearms Unknown are supporting the few rights and liberties left to people who have been affected by these laws. It is still perfectly lawful for someone not prohibited from possessing firearms by due process to build a personal firearm that is unregistered, unserialized, and unknown to the government, and ought not be treated like the 7 words you can’t say on the radio for advertising as such. It’s truthful, honest advertising.

Why some people believe personal liberty is more dangerous than an empowered and all-knowing government remains a mystery. But you too can let these media outlets know that you support the ability of businesses like Firearms Unknown to truthfully advertise on their stations their products and services that cater to your remaining rights and liberties. If they receive more calls than “Everytown” members, maybe it’ll make a difference.